Cubic Yard Calculator
Estimates only. Weight uses typical loose densities; wet material weighs more. Ask your supplier how they sell it.
To get cubic yards, multiply length × width × depth in feet and divide by 27, since one cubic yard is 27 cubic feet. A 12 × 10 ft area filled 4 inches deep is 40 cubic feet, or 1.48 cubic yards; with 5% extra, order about 1.56 yards. Enter your area below for cubic yards, cubic feet, cubic meters, tons by material, bags, and cost.
How much does a cubic yard cover?
| Depth | Area one yd³ covers | yd³ per 100 sq ft | yd³ per 1,000 sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 in | 324 sq ft | 0.31 | 3.09 |
| 2 in | 162 sq ft | 0.62 | 6.17 |
| 3 in | 108 sq ft | 0.93 | 9.26 |
| 4 in | 81 sq ft | 1.23 | 12.35 |
| 6 in | 54 sq ft | 1.85 | 18.52 |
| 12 in | 27 sq ft | 3.70 | 37.04 |
How to calculate cubic yards
Multiply length × width × depth with every measurement in feet, then divide by 27, because a cubic yard is 3 ft × 3 ft × 3 ft = 27 cubic feet:
cubic yards = length (ft) × width (ft) × depth (ft) ÷ 27
Depth is usually measured in inches, so divide it by 12 first. A 12 × 10 ft bed at 4 inches deep is 12 × 10 × 0.333 = 40 cubic feet, and 40 ÷ 27 = 1.48 cubic yards. With 5% extra for settling and uneven ground, order about 1.56 yards. The calculator does the conversions for you, and you can enter any dimension in inches, feet, yards, or metric.
The shortcut from square feet
If you already know the area, cubic yards = square feet × depth in inches ÷ 324. The 324 is 27 × 12. So 1,000 sq ft at 3 inches is 1,000 × 3 ÷ 324 = 9.26 cubic yards. The table above runs this the other way: how many square feet one cubic yard covers at common depths.
Cubic feet to cubic yards, and back
- Cubic feet to cubic yards: divide by 27. 100 cubic feet is 3.70 cubic yards.
- Cubic yards to cubic feet: multiply by 27. 2.5 cubic yards is 67.5 cubic feet.
- Cubic inches to cubic feet: divide by 1,728 (12 × 12 × 12). Divide by 46,656 to go straight to cubic yards.
- Cubic yards to cubic meters: multiply by 0.7646. One cubic meter is 1.308 cubic yards, or 35.31 cubic feet.
These factors are exact by definition: the international yard is exactly 0.9144 m, so a cubic yard is exactly 0.764554857984 cubic meters.
Circles, triangles, rings, and piles
- Circle: area = π × (diameter ÷ 2)². A round bed 10 ft across at 3 inches holds 19.6 cubic feet, or 0.73 cubic yards.
- Triangle: area = ½ × base × height, where the height is measured at right angles to the base. Corner beds are usually triangles.
- Ring: the outer circle minus the inner one, for mulch around a tree or gravel around a fire pit.
- Pile: a heap of dirt, sand, or gravel is close to a cone, so its volume is π × (diameter ÷ 2)² × height ÷ 3. A pile 10 ft across and 4 ft high is 104.7 cubic feet, or 3.88 cubic yards. That is handy for checking a delivery or working out how much dirt you dug.
For an L-shaped or odd area, split it into rectangles and triangles, run each one, and add them, or use the number-of-areas field for several identical beds.
Cubic yards to tons
Bulk material is sold by the cubic yard or by the ton, depending on the yard. To convert, multiply cubic yards by the material's density in tons per cubic yard; to go from tons to cubic yards, divide. The densities below are the same loose, as-delivered figures the site's gravel, sand, topsoil, and concrete calculators use.
| Material | Tons per yd³ | Cubic yards per ton |
|---|---|---|
| Topsoil | 1.08 | 0.93 |
| Crushed stone (¾") | 1.35 | 0.74 |
| Sand | 1.35 | 0.74 |
| Pea gravel | 1.40 | 0.71 |
| River rock | 1.30 | 0.77 |
| Concrete (placed) | 2.03 | 0.49 |
Mulch and compost are sold by volume, so the calculator gives no weight for them. For gravel types beyond these, the gravel calculator lists a dozen more.
Bags or bulk: how many bags make a yard?
A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, so it takes 13.5 bags of 2 cubic feet, 18 bags of 1.5 cubic feet, 27 bags of 1 cubic foot, 36 bags of 0.75 cubic feet, or 54 bags of 0.5 cubic feet. Choose your bag size above and the calculator rounds up to whole bags. To compare, multiply the bag price by the bags per yard and set that against the bulk price per yard plus delivery.
Common mistakes
- Leaving the depth in inches. 10 × 10 × 3 is 300, but the answer is 25 cubic feet, not 300. Convert inches to feet (÷ 12) before multiplying.
- Dividing by 9 instead of 27. Nine converts square feet to square yards. Volume needs 27.
- Ordering the exact volume. Loose material settles and compacts, and the ground is never perfectly level. Add 5 to 10%; compacted gravel bases need more, which the gravel calculator covers.
- Confusing short tons and metric tonnes. A US ton is 2,000 lb; a metric tonne is 2,205 lb.
What this calculator can't handle
- Uneven depth. On a slope or a dip, take depth readings at several points and enter the average.
- Swell when digging. Soil takes up more room once it is dug out than it did in the ground, so excavated dirt fills more truck than its hole volume suggests.
- Compaction. A compacted base needs more loose material than its finished volume; how much depends on the material and the compactor.
- Truck loads. Delivery truck capacities vary by supplier and by weight limits; ask the yard how many yards or tons they carry per load.
About these figures: the conversions follow the exact yard (0.9144 m) and pound definitions in NIST's SI conversion guide. Densities are the site's published figures: topsoil from The Calculator Site's weight range, gravel and sand from Vertigraph and CalculatorSoup, and concrete at the standard 150 lb per cubic foot. The 5% default extra is a common allowance, not a standard.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate cubic yards?
Multiply length × width × depth in feet and divide by 27. A 20 × 10 ft area at 3 inches (0.25 ft) deep is 50 cubic feet, or 1.85 cubic yards.
How many cubic feet are in a cubic yard?
27. A cubic yard is a cube 3 ft on each side, and 3 × 3 × 3 = 27 cubic feet.
How do I convert cubic feet to cubic yards?
Divide by 27. For example, 54 cubic feet is 2 cubic yards and 100 cubic feet is 3.70 cubic yards. To go from cubic yards to cubic feet, multiply by 27.
How do I convert square feet to cubic yards?
You need a depth. Multiply the square feet by the depth in inches and divide by 324. 500 sq ft at 4 inches is 500 × 4 ÷ 324 = 6.17 cubic yards.
How much area does a cubic yard cover?
324 sq ft at 1 inch deep, 108 sq ft at 3 inches, 81 sq ft at 4 inches, and 54 sq ft at 6 inches. Divide 324 by the depth in inches.
How many tons are in a cubic yard?
It depends on the material: about 1.08 tons for topsoil, 1.35 for crushed stone and sand, 1.40 for pea gravel, and about 2 tons for concrete. Multiply cubic yards by that density for tons.
How do I convert tons to cubic yards?
Divide the tons by the material's density in tons per cubic yard. 10 tons of crushed stone at 1.35 tons per yard is about 7.4 cubic yards.
How many bags are in a cubic yard?
13.5 bags of 2 cubic feet, 27 bags of 1 cubic foot, 36 bags of 0.75 cubic feet, or 54 bags of 0.5 cubic feet, because a cubic yard is 27 cubic feet.
How do I calculate the volume of a pile of dirt?
Treat it as a cone: π × (diameter ÷ 2)² × height ÷ 3. A pile 10 ft across and 4 ft high is about 104.7 cubic feet, or 3.88 cubic yards.
How many cubic yards in a cubic meter?
One cubic meter is 1.308 cubic yards, and one cubic yard is 0.7646 cubic meters.
Related calculators
Sources
- NIST Guide to the SI, Appendix B: Conversion FactorsNational Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)Exact conversion factors: 1 yd = 0.9144 m, so 1 yd³ = 0.764554857984 m³; 1 ft³ = 0.028316846592 m³; 1 lb = 0.45359237 kg.
- How Much Does a Cubic Yard Weigh?The Calculator SitePublished weight range for topsoil (about 2,000 to 2,700 lb per cubic yard), the basis of the 1.08-ton working figure.
- How to Calculate Gravel Tonnage — Depth, Density, OrderingVertigraphLoose bulk densities in tons per cubic yard for crushed stone, pea gravel, river rock, and sand.
- Gravel Calculator — Material Weights and DensitiesCalculatorSoupPublished per-material densities used to cross-check the gravel figures.
- Concrete Mix — product lineQUIKRETEBagged concrete yields; normal-weight concrete is taken at 150 lb per cubic foot (about 2 tons per cubic yard).